Lanny Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 I went to my Oncologist Thursday and he wants to start Chemo he said I am at stage 4 in my right lung & thy are 1 center meter I am going to get chemo 21 days apart 3 times then another CT scan to see if it’s working he said it is Metastasis so not a good thing The 2 drugs are Carboplatian & Paclitaxel has any else had that & what were your side effects they also want to do a biopsy of my lymph nodes in my neck so at stage 4 is it still nsclu going to try & think positive but worried it could spread more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Hi, Lanny, Stage IV usually refers to NSCLC (small cell is usually referred to as "limited" or "extensive")--you should ask your doctor exactly what kind of cancer you have. There are a few different types of NSCLC--adenocarcinoma (most common), squamous cell (next most common), and a few rarer types. Ask your doctor whether they have ordered molecular studies (to determine whether you might respond to a targeted therapy and/or immunotherapy)--if not, you should push for that. Many of those drugs are less hard on the body than chemo, and they can be VERY effective if you have the right chemistry in your cancer's DNA. Just wondering, though--are they sure this is primary lung cancer, rather than a metastasis of your salivary gland cancer to the lung? When a metastasis shows up elsewhere in the body, it's still the same as the original cancer. IOW, if yours is a metastasis, it would still be treated as salivary gland cancer, not lung cancer, even though it's in your lung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Lanny, Welcome here. I have non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the subtype of Squamous cell. I had a total of 18 infusions of Taxol and Carboplatin. Paclitaxel is the brand name for Taxol so I had the same medications you are having. What were my side effects? About 8 hours after each infusion, I'd experience nausea. I learned to keep track of the time my infusions started to I could start my anti nausea medications a couple of hours before my symptoms started. That eliminated nausea. I also have problems with taste. Nothing I ate tasted good and I stopped eating and lots a lot of weight. The most troubling side effect started about two days after infusion--joint pains. They were really severe in my wrist, ankles, keens, elbows, fingers and toes. No swelling, just intense pain. There was no swelling. It was kind of like an arthritis symptom. Neither prescription pain meds nor aspirin helped. This symptom lasted about 3 days then completely disappeared. The thing that helped me was to chart the timing of various side effects so I'd know how to organize my life around my discomfort. Lexi's advice about molecular studies is worth following up on. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 Went to Emory Hospital in Atlanta today I got a call at 11 am & they want me to b their at 2pm they never gave such short notice I went 2 admissions they don’t have any record of me I go up to my regular office I always go to & they call down to admissions they finally bring to a room they are checking the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck which are enlarged 1 nurse & 2 Doctors they couldn’t do the biopsy because they cant feel it now need it done by ultrasound this is a 100 mile round trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgetO Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 It sounds like a really frustrating day! Do you have an appointment set for the ultrasound biopsy? Hang in there, Lanny. Bridget O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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